Kyoto in One Day: @ Arashiyama & @ Higashiyama — Guide Kaz

What Is a Private Full-Day Kyoto Tour with a Chartered Car Like? A Licensed Guide's Report

The guests were a group of longtime friends visiting from North America. During the pre-tour communication there were some complications regarding changes to the meeting time and arranging a car charter, and in the end the meeting time was set for 8:00 am. Since the guests had chartered a vehicle themselves, it became a tour with a private hire car for the day.

They were very photogenic, and everyone took plenty of photos at each location. At the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, we climbed up to the top of Kameyama Park so they could enjoy the view of the Hozugawa River Gorge.

Some of the guests were collecting goshuin (temple seal stamps), so they received goshuin at each temple.

At Ryoanji Temple, they each purchased various items at the temple office, such as shikishi boards, mini folding screens, and hanging scrolls.

At Kinkakuji, there was no wind, and the reflection of the Golden Pavilion in Kyokochi Pond was magnificent. While some of the guests were lining up for goshuin, the others sampled yatsuhashi and bought several packs. At the bottom of the stairs near the exit, they also sampled and purchased wasabi peanuts. On the way from Ginkakuji to Kiyomizudera, one of the guests said they wanted to buy a Buddhist statue, so we stopped by a few shops that sold them, but in the end they did not make a purchase. At Kiyomizudera, everyone lined up at Otowa Waterfall, and I took photos of each person at the moment they drank the water. After that, we strolled through the Higashiyama area, including Sannenzaka and the Yasaka Pagoda, and finally saw the guests off into the private hire car near the Kodaiji parking area, where we parted ways.

Click here for more details: Kyoto Customized Private Tour in 1 Day with Licensed Guide

Tour Report by Kaz

Hi, thank you very much for choosing the JGA tour!

My name is Kazuhiro Yoshida, please call me “Kaz”.

I am an English-speaking National Licensed Tour Guide in Japan, and have been guiding mainly in Kyoto and other Kansai areas since April 2023. I have guided over 1,000 tours in total so far, and I am on my way to becoming one of the best English-speaking tour guides in Japan.

I have a great passion to show people from all over the world, the deep histories and cultures of Japan, the country I truly love.
I am focused to take you out on a tour that will become one of the best highlights of your entire trip.

I am glad to have an opportunity to be your guide, and I hope that we can explore many hidden gems of Japan together!